Social media chatter erupted after an alleged picture former NBA Star Steve Francis was shown on screen in the audience of a basketball game, with fans shocked about how old he looked.

Francis, who left the NBA in 2010 to play for the Beijing Ducks, is 34 years old. Basketball fans took to Twitter and Facebook to comment on how much older he looked at the game, making his name a trending topic on Twitter.

Wow Steve Francis Look like he played NBA 40 Years ago, wrote @AnthonyTilghman.

Oh my goodness Steve Francis looks old. Poor him, wrote @_jadorelo.

Some Twitterers went to the three-time NBA All-Star's defense.

Yall leave Steve Francis alone, he's a College Park Legend, tweeted @leeraym10.

This Steve Francis slander is crazy, wrote @shloop_.

In his nine-season career, Francis played for the Houston Rockets, Orlando Magic and New York Knicks. Since he left to play ball in China, he's been largely out of the media spotlight.

Does Francis really look that awful, or is it just the lighting?

Steve Francis

Below is a picture of Francis while he was on the Houston Rockets in 2007, sitting next to Yao Ming.

Steve Francis and Yao Ming

China Twitter NBA Basketball